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Robert Taylor Prints  Royal Air Force  Halifax |
[UP] - Spitfire - Hurricane - Mosquito - Typhoon - Lancaster - Stirling - Sunderland - Canberra - Hercules - Harrier - Beaufighter - Blenheim - Kittyhawk - Phantom - Wellington |
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| Text for the above items : |
Halifax Legend by Robert Taylor RAF Pathfinder founder and Commander signs print featuring the four engined Halifax bomber. |
Out of the Night - The First To Go In by Robert Taylor. Silently out of the night they came. With flaps deployed, three timber and plywood Horsa gliders swept swiftly down through the night skies, rapidly closing with their objective - Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal. On board, with tension etched deep into their blackened faces, men from the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, part of the British 6th Airborne Division, braced themselves for landing. They, and sappers from the Royal Engineers, were about to become the first fighting force to land in France on D-Day. They were about to make history. |
The Hard Way Home by Robert Taylor. The Battle of Britain had been won by the young fighter pilots of Fighter Command, but now it fell to another band of young men to wage total warfare against the Nazi war machine - the aircrew of RAF Bomber Command. And like the fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain, the young men who flew with Bomber Command came not just from Britain, but from all over the Commonwealth, and from the countries of occupied mainland Europe. Every man was a volunteer, prepared to endure the deadly flak and prowling night fighters, to say nothing of the savage and bitter cold, in order to wage their relentless attack on the military and industrial targets of the Third Reich. The aircraft that carried these young men to war were numerous, but bearing the brunt of the RAFs incessant campaign were two heavy bombers, the stalwarts of Bomber Command - the Lancaster and the Halifax. Between them they accounted for over three quarters of all the bombs dropped by the RAF, and Halifaxes alone accounted for a total of 73,312 operations, nearly a fifth of all missions carried out by Bomber Command. |
Top Cover by Robert Taylor. Flying escort missions was no soft option for fighter pilots. Supporting bombers en-route to important strategic targets almost guaranteed interception by enemy fighters, and the great bomber air raids over enemy occupied Europe brought about some of the most ferociously fought dog-fights of the war. Though regarded as the best defencive fighter ever built, the Spitfire flew in most fighter roles in almost every theatre of WWII. It equipped many squadrons such as the RAF's number 610 Squadron, which flew this outstanding fighter in various marks, throughout the war. Having contested the Battle of Britain flying Mark Is, 610 became part of Douglas Bader's famous Tangmere Wing in 1941 with the Mark Vb. As part of top-scoring Johnnie Johnson's with Canadian Wing in 1943, the squadron was equipped with the Mark IX - the best of all Spitfire Marks according to the great wing leader - getting the better of the Luftwaffe's new Fw190 in the great air battles leading up to the Normandy Landings in 1944. In 1944 the squadron received 90 gallon drop tanks for their new Mark XIV Spitfires and began long range sweeps over Germany. Robert Taylor's emotive painting Top Cover recalls an event from this period. Led by Tony Gaze, on 6th October 1944, his flight of 610 Squadron Spitfires have picked up a severely damaged Halifax over Holland as it lumbers homeward after an attack on synthetic oil plants in Germany. Two crew members have been ordered by skipper Ted McGindle to depart the ailing bomber by parachute while he struggles on with other crew members too badly wounded to escape. Top cover provided by 610's Spitfires ensured this 462 Squadron Halifax made it home on that October day. |
| Halifax Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Flight Lieutenant Tom Austin DFC AE Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Flight Lieutenant Tom Austin DFC AE After joining the RAF in 1941 Tom Austin qualified as a pilot on Harvards, then converted into Halifaxes. During the war years other aircraft he flew included Wellingtons, Stirlings and Lancasters. While flying Wellingtons as part of 199 Squadron during a raid over Dortmund, his aircraft was badly damaged but Tom managed to limp home, crash landing at Mildenhall. |
Warrant Officer William Bell Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Warrant Officer William Bell Bill joined the RAF in 1941 and was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds as a Navigator on Halifaxes. He was later transferred to 166 Squadron, and was on his 20th operation, flying to Berlin in November 1943 when he was shot down and ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft IVb. He escaped on three separate occasions but was recaptured every time - the war finished just before his fourth attempt! |
  Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett Our estimated value of this signature : £70 Died : 1986 | Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett Born in Australia, Bennet had joined the RAF before the war. He became widely experienced in flying all types of aircraft including fighters, flying boats and heavy bombers commanding 77 squadron, flying Halifaxes. In 1942, whilst commanding 10 Squadron, he was shot down on one of the attacks on the Tirpitz, but evaded capture and returned to England. Widley regarded as a navigation expert beyond comparison, he was personally selected by Arthur Harris to form the Pathfinder Force and his uncompromising attitude and ceaseless devotion to his men made him a legendary figure in WWII history. He died 15th September 1986. |
Flying Officer Edward Bowles Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Flying Officer Edward Bowles Joining 429 Squadron RCAF based at East Moor in Yorkshire in late 1942, Edward Bowles was a Bombardier on Halifaxes. He flew 33 combat missions, his aircraft shooting down two Me109s on one mission. |
 Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2017 | Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown Flight Lieutenant Bernard Walter Brown was accepted for a short service commission in 1938, and after being accepted arrived in England in September, training at 5 E&RFTS, Hanworth and in late January 1939 he was posted to 5FTS, Sealand. He then went to No 1 School of Army Co-Operation at Old Sarum for a course on Lysanders in August 1939, and soon after joined 613 Squadron. Bernard Walker Brown was flying one of six Hectors detailed to dive-bomb gun emplacements near Calais. On the way to the target, he test-fired his forward gun but a fault caused the muzzle attachment to fly off, penetrate the fuselage and hole the main fuel tank. He jettisoned his bombs and turned back and make a forced-landing. In August 1940 he volunteered for Fighter Command, converting to Spitfires. He joined 610 Squadron at Biggin Hill. In late September he went to 72 Squadron, but on the 23rd was shot down by a Bf 109. He bailed out of the aircraft, badly wounded. Returning to active duty in November 1940, he was posted to 8FTS, Montrose for an instructor's course, after which he went to Rhodesia, subsequently instructing at Cumalo. In 1943, he trained with Transport Command, becoming a ferry pilot. He flew between the United Kingdom and the Middle East. He transferred to the RNZAF in January 1944 and by the end of the year was flying Halifaxes. He was released in 1945 to fly Dakotas with BOAC and later joined BEA, flying with the airline until his retirement in 1972. He died on 23rd January 2017. |
Air Commodore Wilf Burnett DSO OBE DFC AFC Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2006 | Air Commodore Wilf Burnett DSO OBE DFC AFC Canadian Wilf Burnett joined the RAF before the war and at the outbreak of hostilities was flying Hampdens. He completed his first tour of 30 operations in September 1940, flying with 49 Sqn at Scampton. His crew had bombed invasion barges in the Channel ports, mined enemy waters, operated against the Ruhr, and taken part in the first raids against Berlin. In July 1941 he was posted to 408 (Goose) Sqn RCAF, at Syerston, where one night in January 1942, returning from Hamburg, their Hampden crashed in extreme weather. Wilf was the sole survivor, and he was hospitalised. Recovering he was accepted to command 138 (Special Duties) Sqn at Tempsford who were engaged in dropping agents and supplies to the Resistance in occupied countries flying Halifaxes, later Stirlings. He died 26th November 2006. |
Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £25 Died : 2005 | Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Dudley joined the RAF in 1935 and in 1937 went to India flying on the North West Frontier, and Iraq. At the outbreak of war he went to Burma and in 1942 was fortunate to escape when his airfield was overrun by the Japanese. Escaping back to England he took command of 195 Squadron RCAF flying Wellingtons. In 1943 he became CO of 427 Squadron on Halifaxs, later converting to Lancasters. In the Korean War he commanded a Flying Boat Wing operating Sunderlands. He retired from the RAF in 1962. He died 20th September 2005. |
Squadron Leader Pat Carden DFC AE Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2008 | Squadron Leader Pat Carden DFC AE Joining the RAF in 1932, after qualifying as a pilot, he served as an instructor until 1942, when he joined 15 Squadron at Mildenhall, flying Lancasters. Volunteering for the Pathfinder Force he joined 35 Squadron at Gravely on Halifaxes, followed by 582 Squadron on Lancasters, taking part in many bombing sorties over Normandy, including two missions on D-Day. He finished the war having completed 66 operations. Pat Carden sadly died 28th June 2008, aged 96. |
  Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £75 Died : 1992 | Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* One of the most courageous and determined bomber leaders of World War II, Leonard Cheshire flew four operational tours, starting in June 1940 with 102 Squadron on Whitley bombers at RAF Driffield. In November 1940, he was awarded the DSO for getting his badly damaged aircraft back to base. He completed his first tour in January 1941, but immediately volunteered for a second tour, this time flying Halifaxes with 35 Squadron. He became Squadron Leader in 1942, and was appointed commanding officer of 76 Squadron later that year. Leonard Cheshire ordered that non-essential weight be removed from the Halifax bombers in a bid to increase speed and altitude, hoping to reduce the high casualty rates for this squadron. Mid-upper and nose turrets were removed, and exhaust covers taken off, successfully reducing the loss rate. In July 1943 he took command of 617 Squadron. During this time he led the squadron personally on every occasion. In September he was awarded the Victoria Cross for four and a half years of sustained bravery during a total of 102 operations, leading his crews with careful planning, brilliant execution and contempt for danger, which gained him a reputation second to none in Bomber Command. Sadly, Leonard Cheshire died of motor neuron disease on 31st July 1992, aged 74. |
Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver Served with 419 (Moose) Squadron RCAF. Reg Cleaver was a Flight Engineer and Co-pilot on Halifaxes until On his 17th operation on 24 June 1943, on a raid to Wuppertal, his aircraft was shot down by German Fw190 nightfighters. After initially evading capture he was eventually captured in Holland where he was beaten by the Gestapo and taken as a PoW to Stalag Luft 6 until the end of the war. He died aged 89 when his car hit a tree in Brandon, he was given a funeral with full military honours at St. John the Baptist Church in Brinklow. |
  Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss KCB KBE Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2013 | Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss KCB KBE John Curtiss trained as a navigator in RAF Bomber Command. He joined his first operational squadron - He flew bombing operations over Germany with Nos 578 and 158 Squadrons, flying the Halifax. He joined the air transport force and in 1949 was promoted to be a flight commander on a York squadron, he flew more than 260 missions into blockaded Berlin during the 1948–49 airlift. In 1953 Curtiss converted to a night-fighter role and flew in Meteor and Javelin aircraft with Nos 29 and 5 Squadrons, the latter providing a quick reaction alert force in Germany. After commanding the operations wing at RAF Wittering, the home of Victor bomber squadrons equipped with the Blue Steel nuclear missile, he returned to Germany as the station commander at Bruggen, the RAF’s largest operational base. Curtiss managed the introduction of four Phantom strike/attack squadrons to the base where he flew with the units, Sir John held many high ranking posts in the RAF, in 1980, he was promoted to air marshal and appointed AOC No 18 Group and Nato Commander Maritime Air Forces, Eastern Atlantic and the Channel, not expecting to find himself commanding air operations “out of area” during his final appointment in the RAF and was Air Commander Falklands Operations in 1982. he coordinated British air assets, including Vulcan bombers flying long-range raids from Ascension Island. His leadership earned him a knighthood, followed by a second, making him one of the few officers to hold both the KBE and KCB. He retired a year later in 1983. Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss KCB KBE passed away on 14 September 2013, aged 88 at his Milford-on-Sea home |
Flying Officer John Evans Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Flying Officer John Evans John joined the RAF in late 1942. He qualified as a pilot and was posted to 158 Squadron at RAF Lissett. His 12th operation on 12th May 1944 was to Hasselt, where his Halifax was shot down by a night fighter. He evaded capture with the help of the Resistance in the Freteval Forest, and got back to England in September 1944. |
Squadron Leader John Fisher DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Squadron Leader John Fisher DFC John Fisher served with 644 Squadron flying Special Duties Halifaxes on supply drops to resistance movements throughout North West Europe, and dropping personnel for SOE duties. On the night of 5th June, he flew Halifax LL219 towing a Horsa glider as part of the assault on Pegasus Bridge. In two operations on D-Day + 1 he towed two further gliders into the Normandy area. He later flew two more glider operations over Arnhem, and another on the Rhine crossing. He received the DFC (USA) which was presented to him by General Jimmy Doolittle. |
Warrant Officer Laurie Godfrey Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Warrant Officer Laurie Godfrey As a WOP/Air Gunner he joining 408 Sqn, only the second RCAF squadron formed overseas, serving on first Halifaxes and Lancasters completing 32 operations. |
Warrant Officer Harry Gough Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Warrant Officer Harry Gough Harry joined the RAF in 1943 as a Rear Gunner in 10 Squadron affectionately known as Shiny 10 at RAF Melbourne, part of 4 Group. At the beginning of the war they were equipped with Whitleys, upgrading to the Halifax in December 1941. On 8th July 1940, they moved to RAF Leeming, Yorkshire and again on 19th August 1942 to RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire. Harry completed 33 operations. |
Squadron Leader Ian Hewitt DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Squadron Leader Ian Hewitt DFC* Ian was originally a Navigator on Whitleys with 58 Squadron, before joining 35 Squadron. Shot down attacking the Tirpitz in Halifax S for Sugar, he managed to crash land and escape into Sweden. Through a successful PoW exchange Ian was flown back to England in a Mosquito and went back to operations with 405 Squadron RCAF. |
  Air Chief Marshal Sir Lewis Hodges KCB CBE DSO DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2007 | Air Chief Marshal Sir Lewis Hodges KCB CBE DSO DFC* Lewis Hodges flew with 49 Sqn from June 1940 until he was shot down over occupied France in Sept 1940 and taken prisoner by the Vichy French. He managed to escape and made his way back to England, rejoining 49 Sqn. He took part in the attacks against the German Channel dash operation in Feb 1942. In Nov of that year he joined 161 (Special Duties) Sqn, flying Halifaxes, Lysanders and Hudsons landing and parachuting agents into German occupied territory. Among the people he brought out of France were two future Presidents - Vincent Auriol and Francois Mitterand. He died 4th January 2007. |
Flt Lt Matt Holiday DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Flt Lt Matt Holiday DFC Matt joined the RAF in March 1939 and was originally posted to 10 Squadron and later to 77 Squadron. He completed 52 operations as a Mid Upper Gunner on Halifaxes. On a raid to Dusseldorf they were attacked by fighters and broke away from the bomber stream, but after evasive action they followed on later and bombed Dusseldorf on their own, resulting in the whole crew receiving instant awards. |
  Flight Lieutenant Harry Hughes DFC DFM AE* Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2023 | Flight Lieutenant Harry Hughes DFC DFM AE* After joining the RAF in March 1941, Harry Hughes trained as a Navigator. On completion of training he was posted to join 102 (Ceylon) Squadron at RAF Pocklington flying Halifaxes. Instead of flying on a mining operation, the traditional first operation for a new crew, Hughes and his colleagues joined 442 other bombers to attack the Krupp factory at Essen. Over the next seven months, Hughes and his colleagues took their Halifax bomber to 25 other heavily defended targets. In addition to attacks against targets in the Ruhr, Hughes visited Nuremberg, Munich and the Skoda armaments factory in Pilsen, a sortie of 10 hours. On a raid to Mülheim, Hughes’s Halifax returned on two engines. Over Stettin on April 20, his Halifax was hit by anti-aircraft fire and the controls were damaged, but the aircraft was recovered safely to Pocklington. Harry completed his first tour with 102 Sqn. For his second tour Harry was posted to join 692 Squadron at Graveley, as Navigator (B). Equipped with Mosquito light bombers, 692 Squadron was part of the Light Night Striking Force of N0.8 (PFF) Group, Bomber Command; famous for its fast striking raids on Berlin using 4000lb cookie bombs. On July 24th the next operation was on Hamburg . Using “window” for the first time (metal foil strips to confuse the enemy radar system), the raid caused extensive damage. Over the next 10 days, Hughes flew on two more attacks on Hamburg. On What became known as the Battle of Berlin opened on August 23. This was to be the first of many sorties Hughes would make to the Big City. After successfully bombing the target, one of the four engines of the Halifax failed and the long flight to base was made on three engines. On September 22, Hughes bombed Hanover, the final operation of his tour. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that he had been awarded the DFM, and he was commissioned. After a short spell at navigation squadron training he volunteered in July 1944 to join the Bomber Command’s Pathfinder Force and he began converting to the twin-engine Mosquito bomber. In August he joined 692 Squadron, which was part of the Pathfinder Forces Light Night Striking Force (LNSF). The main task of the Mosquitos was to accompany the main bomber force and drop window before the attack to confuse the enemy air defence radars. They then headed for a different target on a siren tour, when they ranged far and wide over the Reich to drop a 500lb bomb on each of three or four targets. Among other tasks were spoof raids: when the main force was attacking a major target, the fast high-flying Mosquitos would head for other major cities to draw away the enemy night-fighter force. On New Years Day 1945, Hughes flew on a tunnel-busting operation against vital German lines of supply to the Ardennes offensive. During his tour of operations, Hughes attacked Berlin no fewer than 10 times, the last occasion on February 5. On the 14th, he flew a siren tour raid to Frankfurt, his 50th operation with the LNSF. He was awarded the DFC, the recommendation stating: Since the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal this officer has completed many further operational sorties against strongly defended enemy targets. At all times he has shown himself to be a skilful and accurate navigator. His courage, determination and devotion to duty have always been noteworthy. After the war, Hughes flew Mosquitos to Burma, where he later joined 52 Squadron at Calcutta flying Dakotas on re-supply routes in support of the campaign in Burma. Among the passengers he carried were the Supreme Commander, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, and the future Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Harry Hughes DFC DFM AE Died on July 25th of 2023 at the age of 100. |
 Warrant Officer Harry Irons DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2020 | Warrant Officer Harry Irons DFC Joining the RAF at the age of 16 in 1940, he did 2 full tours as a Rear Gunner with 9 Squadron and took part in nearly all the famous raids of Bomber Command. He finished in 1945 at 158 Squadron flying Halifaxes. 'I had just turned 18 when we went on a gunnery school course. After that six-week training, we usually went for a further three months training to an Operational Training Unit. It so happened that 9 Squadron had just converted from Wellingtons to Lancasters and they were 14 air gunners short on the squadron, so they posted us from gunnery school after six weeks' training straight to the squadron. 'When I got there, I was approached by a Flt Lt Stubbs, who said to me: 'You're my new gunner. We've got a gunner already but he's been flying Wellingtons and he doesn't want to be a rear gunner. He wants to go in the mid-upper turret. You'll be the rear gunner.' But, he said, on my first raid, the best thing for me to do would be to go on the mid-upper turret. 'That way you can see exactly what's going on,' he said. 'My first raid in Lancasters with 9 Squadron was to Dusseldorf on September 10th, 1942. Every time we went on a bombing raid, we had to do an air test first. We would test our guns, test the bomb sight, test the hydraulics, test the engines, and when you landed, if everything was OK, you told the engineers that everything was fine for the raid. As we landed, the armourers arrived with the bomb load. I still remember now, it was one 4,000 pounder - one huge, fat bomb - and 1,200 incendiaries. 'Our bomb aimer was an 'old sweat'. We used to call him 'The Old Boy'. He was 26. He said that with that bomb load we had, we were definitely going to the Happy Valley. When we returned to the mess, we got ready to go to the briefing. We were briefed and the curtain came down off the target and there it was - Dusseldorf. 'That's right,' said the bomb aimer to me, 'that's where we are going, Dusseldorf.' Most of our raids were on the Ruhr Valley and the reason why I am alive now is because - I don't know why - but I never went to Berlin. I wouldn't be talking to you now if I had been to Berlin. I can assure you. 'We put all our gear on. It took about half an hour for the air gunner to get dressed with all the clothing. I clambered into the mid-upper turret and off we went. As we crossed the Dutch coast, I could see we were about 1,400 or 1,500 feet over the coast. I could see a huge number of lights coming up. Far below us there was light flak, in beautiful colours, but it never touched us because we were a little too high. 'We crossed over Holland and the bomb aimer said: 'We are approaching the target, Skipper,' so I decided to swing my turret around and have a look. I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. I could not believe my eyes seeing what was in front of me. The flak, the guns, the lights, the search lights. It was incredible and I was really, really, really frightened. The plane was bouncing about. Then the bomb aimer said: 'Bomb doors open' and in we go straight and level. 'On my left I could see an aircraft on fire going down, and one below us I could see exploding. And I thought to myself: 'We're in for something here!'. I could not believe that we were going to fly through this huge explosion. But we went through it. Then the pilot was talking to the bomb aimer, and the bomb aimer said: 'We have missed the target, Skipper. We're going to have to go round again.' And I thought: 'Dear, oh dear, we've got to go all the way round, come back and go through all that again.' Which we did. And on the second run, we dropped our bombs. 'Bomb doors closed. On the way home. Flying back, there were problems with the oxygen, so the skipper – he was 21 and on his second tour, and old hand – took us down lower. We had to drop below 10,000 feet, and as we crossed the Dutch coast, the light flak opened up. It was absolutely hair-raising. There were hundreds and hundreds of these lights flashing past us but, strangely enough, not one of them hit us. 'When we got back, we landed and had a look at our aircraft. There were about 10 or 15 holes, two or three inches wide, across the fuselage, flak holes caused by shrapnel from the shells. We must have caught them on the Dutch coast. We were lucky but I've seen much worse. We went in for a briefing, had a coffee and went to bed. That was my first raid. Later, I found out, that our skipper, who had finished his tour, unfortunately got killed during training a couple of weeks later.' Harry Irons died on 10th November 2020. |
Squadron Leader Reg Lewis DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Squadron Leader Reg Lewis DFC Reg Lewis was a navigator in Bomber Command, first with XV Squadron, and then 214 Squadron, both on Stirlings. In August 1943 he was posted to 138 (Special Duties) Squadron based at Tempsford. Here he flew Halifaxes, dropping agents and arms into occupied Europe. In February 1944, after flying agent Francis Cammaerts over France, Reg was shot down but evaded capture and made his way to and over the Pyrenees into Spain, and home. |
Warrant Officer Fred Maltas Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Warrant Officer Fred Maltas Fred joined the RAF as a Flight Engineer and was originally sent to 51 Squadron at RAF Snaith on Halifaxes. He then joined 35 Squadron as they undertook their Pathfinder duties. On his 2nd operation to Krefeld on 21st June 1943 his Halifax HR799 was shot down, and Fred ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI. |
Flight Lieutenant Edward Ted McGindle Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Flight Lieutenant Edward Ted McGindle Englishman Ted McGindle was studying in Australia at the outbreak of the Pacific war and joined the RAAF in April 1942. After initial training he gained his wings and graduated as a Sgt Pilot. Ted sailed for England and attended 21 OTU Morton-in-the-Marsh in March 1944 where he selected his crew and converted to Wellingtons. Ted McGindle converted to Halifaxes and in August 1944 was posted to 640 Sqn - 4 Group where he completed 11 operations. Later that month he transferred to 462 Sqn RAAF, equipped with Halifaxes and based at Driffield. On his 19th operation on 6th October 1944 to the synthetic oil plants at Sterkrade, Ted McGindle was awarded an immediate DFC and three of his crew immediate DFMs for bringing their crippled Halifax and wounded crew home to Woodbridge. During this seven month period he received four promotions from the rank of Sgt Pilot to Flt Lieutenant and acting Flight Commander in March 1945, completing his operational tour at the age of 21. |
Warrant Officer John Morrison Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Warrant Officer John Morrison With 35 Sqn he flew as a WOP/Air Gunner on Halifaxes taking part in 24 'Ops' but was shot down on the attack on the Tirpitz in April 1942. After being captured he spent the rest of the War as a PoW in several camps including Stalag Luft III. We have learned that John Morrison has now sadly passed away. |
Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC Completed a full tour of Operations in 1943 flying Halifaxes for 158 Sqn at Lissett. |
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Perks DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £50 | Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Perks DFC Joining the RAF in July 1941 he trained as a pilot in the USA and was posted to 420 Sqn as part of no 6 Group (RCAF) initially flying Wellingtons. The unit then converted to Halifaxes and he moved firstly to 427 Squadron and then 434 Sqn still flying this aircraft. In November 1944 he joined OTU as an instructor on Halifaxes, converting to Mosquitoes in January 1945. He then joined 571 Sqn as part of the Light Night Strike Force, flying the B Mk XVI and dropping 4000lb cookie bombs over Germany. He left the RAF in 1946 but rejoined, finally leaving in 1958 |
  Flight Lieutenant John Petrie-Andrews DFC DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £50 | Flight Lieutenant John Petrie-Andrews DFC DFM John Petrie-Andrews joined the RAF in 1940. After training as a pilot, in January 1943 he was posted to join 102 (Ceylon) Squadron at Pocklington for his first tour, flying Halifaxes. In February 1943 he transferred to 158 Squadron, still on Halifaxes. John the joined 35 Squadron, one of the original squadrons forming the Pathfinder Force. Here he flew first Halifaxes before converting to Lancasters. John Petrie-Andrews completed a total of 70 operations on heavy bombers, including 60 with the Pathfinders. |
Flying Officer Tom Sayer DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Flying Officer Tom Sayer DFM Tom was originally part of the RAFVR and was first posted to 10 Squadron as a pilot on Whitleys. He then transferred to fly Halifaxes with 102 Squadron at RAF Driffield and flew operationally from May to October 1943. He completed 35 operations in total. After a rest period he went to train new aircrew flying Stirlings who were involved in the towing of gliders for airborne operations during 1944 - 45. |
Warrant Officer Sam Thompson Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Warrant Officer Sam Thompson As a Mid Upper Gunner he was posted to 103 Sqn on Halifaxes before transferring to 9 Sqn where he completed 3 raids on the Tirpitz and also Berchtesgaden, completing 50 Ops in total. |
Flying Officer Frank Walker Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Flying Officer Frank Walker Frank Walker joined the RAF in 1943, and did his original training in Glasgow. He was posted to 466 Squadron which was formed at RAF Driffield in Yorkshire on 10th October 1942, and changed over from Wellingtons to Halifaxes in September 1943. As a Rear Gunner on Halifaxes, Frank completed 36 operations before the end of the war. |
Warrant Officer Bill Wilcox DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Warrant Officer Bill Wilcox DFM Bill was a Wireless Operator with 466 Squadron on Wellingtons, before being posted to 640 Squadron on Halifaxes. In 1943 he joined 35 Squadron, part of the Pathfinder Force, on Lancasters. He remained with this unit until the end of the war, completing nearly 60 operations. |
Sqd Ldr Frank Williamson AFC Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Sqd Ldr Frank Williamson AFC Was at 10 Sqn and 102 Sqn at the same time as Tom Sawyer, he flew Whiltleys and Halifaxes and he completed 26 Operations. |
| Halifax Squadron details |
No.161 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 2nd June 1945 Known Codes : , MA, JR, | No.161 Sqn RAF Liberate |
No.405 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Disbanded 5th September 1945 Known Codes : , LQ, | No.405 Sqn RCAF City of Vancouver Ducimus - We lead |
No.433 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Disbanded 15th October 1945 Known Codes : , BM, | No.433 Sqn RCAF Porcupine Qui s'frotte, s'y pique - Who opposes it gets hurt |
No.460 Sqn RAAF Country : Australia Disbanded 10th October 1945 Known Codes : , AR, UV, | No.460 Sqn RAAF Strike and return |
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